Anthony Burns on the double as Galway prove too good for Clare

Galway chalked up their second win in this season's Allianz League when a strong opening-half performance laid the foundation for a 2-21 to 0-20 victory over an understrength Clare side at Pearse Stadium.

The Tribesmen led by 2-15 to 0-11 at the end of the opening half with Loughrea’s Anthony Burns, starting his first league game for the Tribesmen, shooting 2-02 from play.

Clare outscored Galway, who had ten wides in the second half, by 0-09 to 0-06 after the restart but never looked like mounting a serious comeback as they fell to a second defeat.

Galway wore black armbands and there was a minute’s silence before the match in memory of former Galway All-Star and All-Ireland winner Michael Coleman who died in an accident on Friday night.

Clare, with just four of the team that started last year's All-Ireland final, started well and opened up a 0-04 to 0-01 lead after just five minutes with one of those survivors Aidan McCarthy shooting three in a row after Ryan Taylor had got the Banner County off the mark.

But Galway, fielding a much more experienced side despite making six changes from the win over Kilkenny last weekend, got on top and worked the ball well up front despite the scruffy surface.

Burns, starting his first league game for the Tribesmen, brought his superb form from Loughrea’s county title win on to a new level and by the interval he shot 2-02 from play, before landing another point in the second half.

The accuracy of Evan Niland, who landed 0-07 in the opening half, kept Galway in touch but Clare maintained their slender lead with Taylor getting a second point, Cian Galvin scoring from distance and Patrick Crotty landing a brace as McCarthy took his opening half haul to 0-06 by the break.

Galway finally got level